Level pedaling: GAP section resurfacing in Ohiopyle complete
Bicyclists on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) bike trail between Confluence and Ohiopyle may be surprised and pleased by a bright-white welcoming ribbon. Private contractors working for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources last month completed resurfacing of the trail throughout that 11-mile stretch passing through Ohiopyle State Park.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a heavily used span of the trail,鈥� said Ben Monk, assistant park manager at Ohiopyle. 鈥淧arts of it had become muddy depressions, and other places were beginning to show erosion channels, which can be treacherous when they catch a bike tire, so it was time to place a new riding surface.鈥�
Monk said bids for the work came in lower than park officials had expected, so they hope to continue the resurfacing work downriver from Ohiopyle to the park鈥檚 northern boundary upstream from Connellsville.
鈥淭wenty-seven miles of the GAP traverse Ohiopyle State Park. Eventually, we鈥檇 like to re-do that entire length,鈥� Monk said. 鈥淭he low bid for the Confluence to Ohiopyle work was just about what it would cost if we did the work ourselves, with our park staff and equipment, though it would have taken us much longer to complete. We鈥檙e happy with the work. The contractor was easy to work with and did a great job for us.鈥�
The trail resurfacing project was initially set to be completed by late spring. But, like so many other endeavors, it was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淲e would have preferred not to do this work during the peak summer period,鈥� Monk said. 鈥淏ut once our contractor was able to get the materials needed, we had to move fast to get it done when we could.鈥�
Signs advised cyclists and hikers to avoid the trail during construction, but Monk said many visitors used the trail anyway, which may have slowed work progress somewhat.
Long-range riders may notice that as the bright new material fades with time, it will match the surface throughout the GAP鈥檚 130-mile course through western Pennsylvania鈥檚 Allegheny Mountains and foothills.
鈥淲hile the park manages 27 miles of trail, there is a memorandum of understanding in place that all trail maintenance entities among the Allegheny Trail Alliance have signed,鈥� Monk explained. 鈥淭hat document recommends that the same material, a crushed limestone dust of specified texture, be used along the entire trail for uniformity and safety.鈥�
Riders on the refurbished section may also notice cleared rectangles along the trail, about the size of a modest home garage, spaced out at roughly every mile. Monk explained that the clearings adjacent to the trail were necessary for trucks loaded with material to pass one another on the narrow corridor. Otherwise, the work would have taken much longer because each truck would need to travel as much as 10 miles after dumping its load to exit the trail before the next truck could back up those 10 miles to the progressing work site.
With the resurfacing work complete, the park decided to maintain the small clearings as 鈥渢urn-arounds鈥� in case an ambulance is needed along the trail.
鈥淭hat ambulance needs to get back out of there fast,鈥� Monk said. 鈥淭he turn-arounds make it unnecessary for it to either back out or run all the way to Confluence to exit the trail.鈥�
Monk also explained that the clearings had already existed but had become grown over with vines and brush.
鈥淎ctually, we didn鈥檛 disturb anything new along the trail,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e just uncovered the cleared turn-arounds that had existed years ago.鈥�
Visitation at Ohiopyle has exploded this summer, up 73 percent over 2019.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had to adjust the way we patrol and spend a lot more time sanitizing facilities to keep visitors as safe as possible in the pandemic,鈥� Monk said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen an explosion of out-of-state plates in the parking lots, from Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and throughout the Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions. But from what we can tell there is less international visitation.鈥�
Monk observed that many visitors seem unfamiliar with a mostly wild and natural setting, such as Ohiopyle State Park.
鈥淪ome don鈥檛 seem to comprehend what a river can do to a swimmer,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome of our first-time visitors approach the river as if it were a swimming pool.鈥�
Monk reported that one visitor had to be rescued from the brink of Ohiopyle Falls after he launched an inflatable swimming-pool air mattress on the Youghiogheny upstream from the falls.
鈥淭he mattress went over the falls, but we got him out safe,鈥� Monk said.
鈥淲e encourage everyone to come out and enjoy this unique and beautiful place that is Ohiopyle State Park,鈥� Monk concluded. 鈥淏ut be aware that this is nature out here. It can be unpredictable and dangerous if you don鈥檛 respect it.鈥�
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.